The Four Seasons (group)

"Jersey Boys," a musical play based on the lives of The Four Seasons, is running at the La Jolla (California) Playhouse through January 2, 2005 and is headed for Broadway. A fairly complete Guided By Voices discography is available.. The Four Seasons were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999. In 2004, during the band's final tour, many cities around the United States proclaimed a certain day to be "Guided by Voices Day" in that city. Some of them include:. The partnership continues to this day. A 2nd box set of unreleased songs, with the working title of Suitcase II , is planned for December of 2005. The band name is also the name of a legal partnership, The 4 Seasons Partnership, that Valli and Gaudio entered into at the start of their careers, agreeing to split all the proceeds from their musical efforts 50-50. Several GbV works have future plans to be (re)-released, largely on vinyl.

The band would, however, enjoy a brief revival in their popularity in the mid 1970s, with the hits "Who Loves You", "Swearin' to God", and "December, 1963 (Oh What a Night)". His website, www.robertpollard.net offers updates and tentative future releases. By the end of the decade, however, the group's popularity was deteriorating, as public interest moved towards rock with a harder edge and more socially conscious lyrics. Though the (current incarnation of the) band has separated, Pollard continues to produce solo material. In the mid 1960s, the British Invasion slowed down their career somewhat, but the Four Seasons released several more big hits in 1964, such as "Dawn", "Rag Doll", "Big Man in Town", "Ronnie" and "Save It for Me". Guided By Voices played their final show at the Metro in Chicago on December 31, 2004. The Four Seasons followed up "Sherry" with several well-remembered hits, including "Big Girls Don't Cry", "Walk Like a Man" and "Candy Girl". They played the single, "Everyone Thinks I'm a Raincloud (When I'm Not Looking)" from the 2004 release, Half Smiles of the Decomposed.

After many more personnel changes, the band still tours today, but Valli is the only original member left. Their last television appearance was on Late Night with Conan O'Brien on December 2, 2004. Massi left the band in 1965 and was briefly replaced by arranger Charles Calello before Joe Long became a mainstay on bass for the next 10 years. According to Pollard:. Lead singer Frankie Valli began recording in 1953, but the group (Valli, Bob Gaudio on keyboards, Tommy DeVito on lead guitar, and Nick Massi on bass), which formed in 1960, didn't release their first hit until 1962, with "Sherry", produced by Bob Crewe. In 2004, Pollard announced he was discontinuing Guided By Voices [1] (http://gbv.com/2004gbvannouncement.htm) following the release of the Half-Smiles of the Decomposed LP. The Four Seasons are an American pop and doo wop group, distinct from many similar groups of the 1950s and 60s in their traditional Italian-American sound. 2003 saw the release of Earthquake Glue, followed by the box set Hardcore UFOs and the greatest hits compilation Human Amusements at Hourly Rates.

December 1963 (Oh What a Night). In 2002 Guided by Voices returned to Matador and released Universal Truths and Cycles, something of a return to their lo-fi roots. Who Loves You. Critics were kinder to 2001's Isolation Drills, due in part to producer Rob Schnapf, who was able to help the band capture their live intensity. Swearin' To God (Frankie Valli). The following album, 1997's Mag Earwhig, continued with the band's trademark sound, but in 1999 Pollard left Matador Records, joined TVT Records, and released Do the Collapse, a Ric Ocasek-produced album that attempted a more radio-friendly sound for Guided by Voices, yet one which did not garner significant radio airplay. My Eyes Adored You (Frankie Valli). Shortly after the '96 release of UTBUTS, Pollard and Sprout had a falling out that resulted in Pollard firing most of the band and starting to work with Cleveland glam rockers Cobra Verde as the new Guided by Voices backing band.

Will You Love Me Tomorrow (originally by The Shirelles). Tobin Sprout was a major contributor during this period, penning a handful of songs on all the albums through 1996. C'mon Marianne. The next few years saw the release of Alien Lanes and Under the Bushes, Under the Stars, which, while still maintaining the lo-fi aesthetic (Alien Lanes was mostly recorded on a 4-track), saw their songwriting and performing gradually become more accessible. Can't Take My Eyes Off You (Frankie Valli). The band soon signed with Matador. Beggin'. Formed in Dayton, Ohio in the early 1980s, GbV released several albums on several independent record labels, and in 1994 they had a major release of Bee Thousand with Scat Records; distributed by Matador Records.

Tell It To The Rain. Many songs are 30 seconds long; often they end abruptly or are intertwined with odd and homemade sound effects. I've Got You Under My Skin. GbV has garnered much attention for its prolificacy, with a seemingly endless stream of releases. Opus 17 (Don't You Worry 'Bout Me). Over the years the band has seen many personnel changes, but always maintained the presence of principal singer/songwriter Robert Pollard, a former school teacher. Working My Way Back To You. Drawing from pop, prog rock, punk and British Invasion music, and with lyrics tackling such issues as alien abductions, cinnamon-flavored skulls, latter day saints and twilight camp fighters, Guided by Voices is a part of the American alternative rock scene.

Don't Think Twice (It's Allright) (The Wonder Who?). Guided by Voices (or GbV) is a lo-fi/indie-rock band. Let's Hang On. Isolation Drills. Girl Come Running. Under the Bushes Under the Stars. Bye Bye Baby (Baby Goodbye). Alien Lanes.

Big Man In Town. Bee Thousand. Save It For Me. Chicago, Illinois - December 30. Rag Doll. New York, New York - December 5. Alone (originally by the Shepherd Sisters). Los Angeles, California - November 12.

Ronnie. San Diego, California - November 11. Stay (originally by Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs). Dallas, Texas - November 6. Dawn (Go Away). Austin, Texas - November 5. Marlena. Bloomington, Indiana - October 25.

Candy Girl. Newport, Kentucky - October 22. Walk Like A Man. Houston, Texas - October 1. Big Girls Don't Cry. Sherry.

1996 Four Seasons with Frankie Valli. 1995 Who Loves You. 1995 Oh What a Night. 1994 Sing for You.

1994 Sherry/Big Girls Don't Cry. 1993 Dance Album. 1993 The Four Seasons Dance Album. 1992 Hope & Glory.

2. 1990 Live, Vol. 1. 1990 Live, Vol.

1966 Live on Stage. 1965 The 4 Seasons Entertain You. 1964 Girls, Girls, Girls - We Love Girls. The Four Seasons.

1964 The Beatles Vs. 1964 Rag Doll. 1964 Dawn (Go Away) and 11 Other Great Songs. 1964 Born to Wander.